Improvement in chairs



H. HEYWOOD. Chair.

Patented Dec. 18, |877'. Vid- N.PEIERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAnHEn, WASHINGTON. D C

`NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY HEYWOOD, OF GARDNER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO HEYWOOD BROTHERS 85 CO., OF SAME PLAGE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 198,386, dated December 18, 1877; application tiled October l, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, HENRY HEYwoon, of Gardner, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Chairs; and that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making part of this specification.

This invention is in the nature of an improvement in the construction of rattan chairs; and the invention consists in, as a new article of manufacture, a rattan chair with its arms (immediately above the surface of the seat) re-enforced by a metallic sleeve, which metallic sleeve is re-enforced and covered by a wrapping of cane strands, substantially as hereinafter described.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings, Figure l represents a front view of a chair, with my strengthening-sleeve applied to the arm thereof. Fig. 2 is a detail view of under side of seat-frame, with sleeve attached to chair-arm. i

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in the several figures.

Chairs of all kinds, but particularly those which are made of rattan, are liable to have their arms or legs broken o close to the surface of the seat-frame, where they enter the hole in the seat-frame made to receive them. This accident is more liable' to occur to the arms, as they are subject to wrenching and twisting when in use.

By my invention it is believed that this difficulty is entirely overcome, for I take a sleeve, A, of sheet metal or other material, insert it into a hole, a, made into the seatframe, allowing the sleeve to project upward, and to some extent above the upper surface of the seat-frame, as shown in Fig. 1. Into this sleeve is then placed the end of the arm B, which fits snugly into the sleeve. The end of the arm which passes through the sleeve is then wedged, as shown in Figs. l and 2, which completely secures it to the sleeve. The sleeve may be headed over or upset at its lower end, as shown in Fig. 2, which will tend to keep it more firmly in place; but this upsetting is not considered absolutely necessary, however.

A chainarm constructed as I have described above, with the re-enforcing sleeve, will resist any accidental wrenching that, without such re-enforcing, would sever the arm from the seatframe at its point of juncture with such frame. After the sleeve A is in position, as described, if used on a rattan chair, it is completely hidden from sight by the wrapping c of the strands of cane which cover it. This wrapping of strands of cane around that portion of the sleeve which projects above the surface of the seat not only hides the sleeve from sight, but it also materially strengthens and stifens the sleeve itself, the sleeve being made from thin metal. This re-enforcing by the strands of cane is important, not only from the stiffness given to the sleeve, but also because the sleeve is hidden.

I am aware that patents have been granted to T. L. Luders, February 29, 1876, and E. B. VVitheI-ell7 October 2, 1877, for joints for furniture, and I do not claim herein anything so patented by them; but,

Having now described my invention, what I do claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

As a new article of manufacture, a rattan chair with the arms thereof inserted into thin metallic sleeves, said sleeves passing into holes bored into and through the seat-frame, and projecting above the surface of the seatframe, whereby the arms of the chair are strengthened at their points of juncture with the seatframe, that portion of the metallic sleeve which so projects being strengthened and covered by a wrapping of cane strands, substantially as described.

HENRY HEYWOOD.

Witnesses:

FRANCIS RICHARDSON, SARAH E. RICHARDSON. 

